Cannabis

Our firm has acted as outside corporate counsel to cannabis companies across the industry, including cultivation, processing, manufacturing, and dispensing, as well as businesses that are ancillary to those core cannabis functions. We also have combined decades of experience representing companies in high-growth and highly regulated industries, enabling our team to provide critical strategic guidance not just legal services.

The cannabis industry is exploding with growth. The industry is coming out of the dark, and as a result dealing with increasing regulatory and compliance issues. We help cannabis companies remain focused on growth by handling their complex legal issues.

Our attorneys excel in providing cannabis businesses with the following representation:

corporate
- start-up package for new companies with reasonable fixed fee arrangements while a company is getting off the ground;
- outside general counsel services with reasonable monthly subscription fees;
- partnership and operating agreements;
- raising capital/corporate finance;
- mergers & acquisitions;
- supplier agreements, master services agreements, and joint ventures and other related corporate transactions; and
- intellectual property: copyright and trademark creation, licensing, and acquisition or sale
licensing and permitting
information technology and management software (we have extensive relationships with the experienced contract-based CTOs who can audit information systems, track-and-trace, and ensure compliance)
litigation
- commercial, product liability, partnership disputes, etc.
labor & employment agreements and compliance audits (including executive incentive plans and key employment agreements)
real estate & construction
- zoning and land use;
- leasing (tenant and landlord representation); and
- purchase and sale of property (due diligence, title issues, working with escrow, and financing the deals).

Although our firm does not offer tax advice, we work with tax and accounting firms skilled in cannabis-related tax issues, specifically, Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code.

[1]Please be mindful that marijuana remains a Schedule I controlled substance, and that possessing, using, manufacturing, distributing, and/or selling marijuana or marijuana-derived products is illegal under federal law notwithstanding the existence of any state law to the contrary. No legal advice given by our firm is intended to provide any guidance or assistance in violating federal law nor will it provide any guidance or assistance in complying with federal law. Although federal policy may, at times, recommend enforcement discretion when a business or individual is in compliance with existing state marijuana law that is deemed to comply with federal enforcement priorities, it is important to understand that compliance with state law does not equal compliance with, confer any immunity from, or provide any shield from prosecution under federal law. At any time, federal and/or state law and policy may change either to enhance or inhibit the cannabis industry. Given this, the firm’s advice on cannabis laws is limited to (i) advising regarding how to cultivate, distribute, and consume marijuana in a manner that does not result in a crime under state law where our attorneys are licensed and where cannabis is legal, and (ii) assisting in implementing such advice; provided, however, that the firm is prohibited from advising anyone to violate federal law or assisting anyone in violating federal law in a manner that would evade detection or prosecution or otherwise allow anyone to evade detection or prosecution under federal law.